Asecure partnership is your strongest asset through pregnancy and birth. Yet for many of us, the journey to motherhood can feel lonely. After all, how much can your partner truly understand about this tiny life growing inside you, the changes your body's going through – and your imminent birth experience? And what is the role of a partner through these experiences? Quite simply, “Your partner's role is to support you physically, emotionally and spiritually,” says Dr Heather Allan-Gould, a gynaecologist based in Sandton, Gauteng.
That is easier said than done. Your birth partner might not be sure how to get involved without being intrusive, and help without getting in the way. And, most of all, they probably don't know how to best support an intense and often painful experience. Added to this, many of us don't realise that labour can be scary and overwhelming
